Balanced rudder



-Ai McNAUGHT. BALANCED RUDDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30.1919.

1,358,087. Patented NW. 9, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR A LEXANDE/E MC A/A UGI/T 0 zoww 60% ATTORNEY A. McNAUGHT.

BALANCED RUDDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30. 1919.

1 ,35 8,087. Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR ALEXA/mac Mc Mus/1'7 WWW ATTORNEY UNITED STATES r'rsr FFMIE- ALEXANDER MGNAUGHT, OF IIIANITOVIOC, WISCONSIN.

BALANCED RUIDDER.

To all tohom it may concern:

Be ltlrnown that I, AL XANDER Md Nanonr, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Manitowoc, ZVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Balanced Rudders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rudders for the steering of vessels, particularly those of large size,-in which the forces acting upon the rudder are of such magnitude as to make the use of a balanced rudder desirable.

An object of my invention is to provide a balanced rudder which will be substantially balanced in all positions, and which will fit in most advantageously with the usual design of ship, will not interfere with the action of the propeller, and will maintain the closed stern frame construction affording protection to the propeller.

further object of my invention is to so mount the propeller as to do away with portion of the rudder post, with a consequent saving in weight, and so that the rudder post may be made detachable, and the rudder may be supported independentlytherefrom, male ing it possible to unship the rudder andhave bearings which, due to the proximity of the rudder to the propeller and the considerable vibration, are not sufiiciently stable and wear out rapidly. The rudder post need not extend below the stern frame, and is thus not tin subject to the disadvantages of the mos't;

commonly I used type. of balanced rudder, such as is found on battleships.

Having these objects in mind, and such others as appearfrom the specification, my invention consists in. the construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference'characters designate corresponding parts in all views, I have shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of my invention in order that the carrying out of my invention may be fully understood.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical Specification of Letters Patent. Pateniugd N 9 1920; -App1ication filedfiuly 30, 1919. Serial No. 314:,328.

sectional view showing parts of the after portion ofa shipfitted with my invention, taken approximately on the center line of. the shipyand j Fig. 2' is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to these drawings, 1 designates the main portion of the stern frame, to which is secured. at the scaris 2 and 3, the after post i. The stern frame supports the end of the stern tube 5, and the propeller 6. lhe after post i is made substantially straight, the scarfs 2 and 3 being vertically in line, or nearly so, so that previous to assembly of the stern frame the post 4 may be set up on centers, andjournals 7 turned at several points to receive the bearings of the rudder. The rudder comprises preferably a pair of plates 8 which are held parallel to each other and spaced apart by means of stays,

such as the upper stay 9, the lower stay 10, and as many intermediate stays 11 as may be required depending upon the size ofthe rudder. These stays carry bearings 12, located preferably half way between the plates 8;

and these bearings 12 are disposed in the fore and aft direction preferably slightly in advance of a transverse line through the centers of the plates. Due to this disposition of the parts, when the rudder is turned in one directionupon its bearings, sayto port, the flow of water against one of the plates, that on the starboard side, tends to turn it in the same direction, and the flow against the other, that on the portside, tends to turn it in the opposite direction, that is, to return itto midship position butowing to the bearings being set slightly in advance of the. transverse line through the centers of the plates, the force tending to return the rudder to midship position is slightly the, greater, and a force equivalent to this force must be exerted to maintain the rudder in any desired position. This arrangement is preferred over setting the bearings on the transverse line through the center of the plates, so that if control over the rudder is lost, as in case of accident to the steering mechanism, it will tend to return to midship position.

The bearings 12 engage the journals 7 of the after post of the stern frame, and the rudder pivots about these journals. Suitable collars 13 may be disposed on the after post under one or more of the bearings 12 to take theweight of the rudder. The rudder is held in place by the bearing caps'l l which are held upon thebe'aringsby bolts 15 or other suitable means. I

Preferably attached to the upper stays 9 of the rudder is a steering post 16, which at its upper part ismounted in the ship for rotation about the same axis as the bearings of the rudder, and has its'lower part offset to clear the stern frame, and attached to the upper stay9 at a point eccentric from and preferably aft of, the bearings, by suitable means which may be readily detached; 7

The rudder post l6 may be supported upon its-own bearing 17;

This arrangement permits of" the connection between the rudder post and the rudder proper beingreleased, and the rudder being removed for'attentionto the bearings without 'disturbim 'the 90st. and its gland and I b I 1 i bearing, and theoperating machinery at tached to it. v

In operation the rudder is turned upon the journals 7 byin'eans of any of the ordinary forms of steering engine transmitting power throughtlie rudder post. In-y-iew of the balancing effect of the two rudder plates, however, a far smaller engine may be used, as it is necessary only'to overcome the difi'erence of turning moment of the water pressure on the two blades; and the rudder may be: turned faster due to the fact that the required area of rudder is attained in the two plates'close to the axis of revolution, and the turning movement of the water on the blades is thus greatly reduced over that, on a single rudder of the same area.

The" rudder being carried by adjustable bearings directly'on'the journals of the stern post, it isheld steadily in place and free from the vibration which the propeller action setsup in'rudders supported on pintle bearings, and consequently is more readilyturned:

" Having: now described my inventon, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. Steering means comprising spaced pa'r-V allel plates, stays supporting said plates,- a

rudder post. attached .to the upper, stays for turning the rudder, and bearings "carried by said-stays forsupporting said rudder'independently of the rudder post.

2. Steering means comprising spaced parallel plates, stays supporting said plates, a

ruddei post detachably secured to the upper stays for turning the rudder, means for supporting said post independently of the rudder, and bearings carried by said staysioi" supporting said rudder independently of the rudder post. p

3. Steering means comprising a stern frame including a substantially straight separately formed after post having journals 1 turned thereon, rudder plates, stays ar rangedto support said p'lates in spaced and parallel positions, and bearings 1 carried-by said stays and cooperative with said journal's.

4:. Steering means comprising a stern frame, asub'stantially straight after post in scarfed attachment thereto, said after post having ournals turned thereon, rudderallel plates, stays supporting said plates,

bearings carried by said stays, and a rudder post 'detachably" secured to the upper stays eccentically from said bearings;

7 Steering means comprising spaced parallel. plates, stays supporting said plates,

be'aringscarried by said stays, and removabie-caps' for said bearings. I c 8.- Steering means comprising a stern frame including an after post having journals formed thereon, a rudder,bearings on said rudder, and bearing caps arranged to clamp said b'earings'to said journalsfor ro tation-the'reon.

In testimony whereof 'I'uhave feigned name to thisspecification; V V ALEXANDER McNAUGHT. 7 

